This was a tough week for Team Bobby, with two finalists going head-to-head in a Producers' Challenge battle of cocktails. No matter how it shook out, Bobby would lose a member of his team. He was hesitant to say anything at all in the pitch room (or pitch beach, as it was this week): "I didn't want to sway the judges one way or the other based on my comments."

In the end, Bob and Susie decided to send Malcolm Mitchell home. Despite food that consistently impressed them, Malcolm was never fully able to hone his "soulful" POV. "Malcolm's POV was confusing," Susie says. "After eight weeks, we need to know who he is through his food."

Malcolm left the competition in good spirits: "I leave happy. I wanted to win it, but at the end of the day, I did everything that I could do. I was real."

Hear more from Susie and Malcolm in his exclusive exit interview. Did you think Malcolm should have gone home over Michele?

I think that Michelle should have been sent home this week.....shells in the food=inedible. In the producer's challenge, I understood that they were to "Create a cocktail"....not make something that someone else created. Maocolm did that....Michelle did not

I do not think that Malcolm should have been the one to go home. His cooking continued to be inexpressive where as Michelle is the one who did make a major mistake by leaving shells in the crab salad. That was inexcusable on her part due to her expertise in seafood and I love seafood. If I were in Bobby's shoes I would have felt let down by her performance. Michelle is the one I would have had expectations as coming out on top or at least tied with Phillip Ippy in this episode. So as much as i favored Michelle, I feel that it is only fair that Malcolm should not has been the one to go. I happen to like his humbleness. It is refreshing.

I have to take the judges' word on the taste of the food, however, I for one would be leary of any male chef who wears lipstick..lol.... Seriously, though, if the networks choose Michelle, that will be one show I will NOT watch unless she ditches the nose ring. Totally disgusting and "dirty" looking. Not someone's food I would be interested in eating. I wish all the remaining chefs good luck and good cooking.

First I would like to say "I would have love to see Malcolm stay".....but I'm sure I'm not the only one who realxes this show is FIXED. Every week the teams are equal. There has not been a week when a team is considerably lacking a team member. Its so clear that the next week someone from Giafas team will be eliminated. This show is not about the best cooks its all entertainment.

Based on this episode alone, and even though I like her, Michelle should have been the person who was eliminated. She served inedible food, with crab shell in it. Food that had to be retrieved so guests did not get ill and choke on it.

It continues to annoy me that the Network always seems to feel African American chefs should cook traditional soul food. As a woman of color, I find it a bit infuriating because African American's don't sit around eating soul food on a daily basis. I am Team Bobby all the way and had really been pulling for Malcom and Michelle. I think Malcolm should have defined his POV a little earlier but he wasn't in the true soul food POV which the Network seemed to be pushing him towards. For heavens sake, he is a classically trained chef and can cook all kinds of food. Perhaps his POV should have been classic food with a twist? He could have been the male version of Sunny Anderson (an African American woman who doesn't cook traditional soul food). I don't think we've seen the last of Malcolm Mitchell, and I love that smile of his. Wishing him all the best!.

I thought it was good that Bobby wasn't biased in his opinion as he loves them all and was hurt to see one of his chicks leave the nest. Alton is the same way. Giada is too biased to me.

As for the remaining contestants, Grill Next door girl (can't think of her name!), I wish she would show some things about how to grill indoors on the stovetop grill as I don't have an outdoor grill. She has grown on me since she has begun to loosen up....just not sure I can watch a whole show of hers. I'm glad Ippy won the Target challenge and it was nice to see him grow this episode. Martita needs to go. I love Marti and Justin is weird. I'm not sure I could watch him in a show ( he seems more like a how to special) but he does things that are strangely interesting even though he fails to explain.

Unfortunately viewers can't taste or smell the dishes the contestants are cooking. As Rachel Ray states someone needs to invent 'smell vision'. A neat idea for next season would be to include a panel of viewers, to represent the fans, to test taste the contestants dishes. I would have liked to seen Malcolm stay too, he did have potential and a clean dish he served at the beach...